26th March 2026
On 25 March 2026, the Scottish Parliament held a wide-ranging debate on the sustainability of remote, rural and island communities, with multiple MSPs highlighting the erosion of local services—including maternity care—and calling for urgent cross-portfolio action. The debate marked the final contributions of several departing members and underscored growing concern about depopulation, connectivity failures, and unequal access to healthcare.
Maternity Services and Rural Health Inequality
Several MSPs raised concerns about rural health services, with Carol Mochan (Labour) and Brian Whittle (Conservative) explicitly referencing maternity care.
Carol Mochan criticised the Scottish Government for failing rural patients and staff, noting that maternity services in remote areas have been downgraded or centralised, contributing to postcode-based health inequality.
She called for flexible training and recruitment strategies to retain staff in rural areas, including apprenticeships and cross-portfolio collaboration between health, transport, and economy.
Brian Whittle argued that access to maternity services should be statutory and uniform across Scotland, regardless of geography. He warned that rural communities face a "postcode lottery" in healthcare access and urged the adoption of technology-driven solutions to improve service delivery.
Broader Themes from the Debate
The debate, led by Jamie Halcro Johnston (Conservative), focused on the long-term sustainability of rural and island communities. Key themes included:
Decline in Local Services
MSPs from all parties described the withdrawal of police stations, GP surgeries, and hospital services, leaving communities hollowed out and residents struggling to access care.
Several speakers linked this to centralisation and efficiency-driven cuts, which ignore the higher cost of rural service delivery.
Housing and Depopulation
Lack of affordable housing—especially for young families and key workers—was cited as a major driver of depopulation.
Beatrice Wishart (Lib Dem) and others called for investment in infrastructure and housing to help islanders stay and thrive.
Connectivity and Transport Failures
The ferries crisis, poor road conditions, and delayed infrastructure projects (e.g. A9 and A96 dualling) were repeatedly condemned.
Kenneth Gibson (SNP) and Finlay Carson (Conservative) highlighted the emotional and economic toll of unreliable transport links.
Cross-Party Calls for Reform
Despite political differences, there was consensus on several fronts:
Cross-portfolio working is essential to address rural challenges holistically.
Recognition of higher service delivery costs in rural areas must be built into funding models.
Youth retention strategies and housing investment are critical to reversing depopulation.
Final Contributions and Emotional Farewells
This debate marked the final speeches of several MSPs, including John Mason, Beatrice Wishart, Oliver Mundell, and Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon. Many reflected on their work in rural advocacy and called for continued focus on fairness and sustainability.
Motion debated
That the Parliament recognises a special duty to ensure the long-term sustainability of Scotland's remote, rural and island communities; notes the view that addressing the needs of these communities requires policy that recognises and accommodates the particular circumstances of the Highlands and Islands region and other parts of remote, rural and island Scotland; acknowledges the challenges of delivering public services such as education, transport, local health and social care, policing and justice to areas with lower population density; believes that a range of local public services have been centralised or downgraded and no longer have a visible presence in many remote and rural communities; considers that the rural economy and rural businesses have faced unprecedented challenges in recent years with the farming and fishing sectors under real pressure and uncertainty, increased regulation impacting the visitor economy, and high streets and town centres struggling; believes that access to housing and affordable accommodation has become increasingly difficult in these communities, particularly for young people; recognises what it sees as the vital importance of connectivity to the prosperity of these communities, including preserving and expanding travel links by road, rail, sea and air and the need to plan for the future investment needs of essential infrastructure, and notes the view that building strong communities in all parts of Scotland will require a greater focus and consideration from across Scotland's public bodies.
Read the full debate HERE